1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container and, more particularly, to a disc guard and carrying case specially designed for use in association with Compact Discs.
2. Review of the Prior Art
Since 1877 when Edison first made recordings on a wax cylinder in his own voice, the means of preserving audio information has remained, until recently, essentially the same. While the technology has improved in both the recording medium and in the means of amplification, the principle of analog preservation of sound-as impressions in a mouldable material has remained relatively unchanged.
Within the last few years a new and qualitatively different method of sound recording has been introduced. Developed jointly by Sony and Philips and known as the Compact Disc or CD, it is a method of preserving, for ready and random access, large volumes of numerical data on a small reflective disc, where this data is formatted to represent the varying voltage levels associated with the instantaneous amplitude of a signal. The data is recorded as ultrafine, microscopic pits along a spiral path in a polymeric substrate, protected by an overlay of another thin polymeric layer. The pits represent a binary code that is later read via a special laser scanning system which shines into and through the transparent substrate. These pits are quite small (about one micrometer) and require an electron microscope to be photographed.
The resulting compact storage medium is so superior to conventional phonograph records or tapes that it promises to occupy a growing share of the audiophile market. Among its advantages over conventional records or tapes are: superior sound fidelity, cost-effectiveness in achieving quality, less vulnerability to scratching, dust, and fingerprints, no degradation from repeated playing, and last but not least, physical compactness in size.
It is particularly this last feature that has not as yet been fully appreciated or exploited. The cases now used to hold an individual CD are approximately equal in volume to that of a conventional audio cassette tape container, and are much larger than the CD itself. (The CD is approximately 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm in thickness.) This dichotomy has recently been emphasized by the advent of portable players that are only the size of three or four CD cases.
While various approaches have been proposed for solving this problem, none seem to be well adapted to the new and, in many ways unique, medium. Nor do they solve the problem of carrying a plurality of discs in a simple, easily accessable manner. It is to this latter problem of packaging that the current invention is addressed.
To put the problem in perspective, there were proposals for the storage of phonograph records that go back to the 1930's.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,806 to Hills represents a "Carrier Case and Rack for Phonograph Records" reflective of the state of the art as of the late 1930's. Hills' case is essentially a plurality of pockets enclosed within a briefcase, with the pockets linked so that they automatically fold-out when the case is opened. This type of system requires a stable surface on which to place the case; otherwise one may easily lose control over the enclosed records. Also, by linking the pockets, they are not individually movable and the record labels cannot be viewed on the front surface of the disc.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,777,574 to Brody discloses a holder for phonograph records designed as an alternative to the album cover and record jacket arrangement commonly used with phonograph records. Brody attempts to provide means for protecting a record sheath from scratching or frictional wear, said means incorporating therein an outer protective envelope made of plastic material to be placed over the record sheath. Brody also discloses a protective strip folded upon itself to form overlying plies between which the record is sandwiched. The inner surfaces of the plies are smooth or polished to avoid frictional contact with the grooved surface of the record. While this may be effective in protecting the surface of the individual record, it is not adaptable to the requirement of ready and rapid access to a single disc, nor to the special problems in handling and carrying a plurality of said discs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,639 to Cournoyer et al discloses a Disk Guard Device directed not to sound recordings but to the magnetic discs such as those used in the information processing field. Here again there are significant differences in structure in comparison to record cases/holders resulting from differences in function of the respective goods. For example, Cournoyer et al's Disk Guard Device includes restraining ribs to hold the disc firmly within the disc pocket, specially placed hooks to permit a plurality of discs to be slidably hung in a file drawer, and bottom projections to permit the guard device to pivot or fanfold when stored in a cabinet drawer. These features are directed to the unique problems of magnetic discs--especially the high flexibility and vulnerability to warping of the disc--and would be unnecessary and cumbersome if used in the CD context.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,730 to Wu discloses a storage box for computer floppy disks including collapsible storage bags, linked at their edges for extensibility. Unlike the present invention, which provides air-cushioned, protected pockets for each CD, the thrust of Wu is one of sufficiently separating between the pockets not the protective environment within a specific pocket. And, being similar to the previously cited invention of Hills, the same previously cited limitations apply here.
Accordingly, the prior art does not address or solve the problem of concern to the Inventor herein.
There are also on the market currently, several unpatented products: a cardboard folding package, an unlinked system of pockets within a soft protective jacket, and an unlinked system of pockets within a hard plastic case. (Sony CK-CD 6)
The invention herein disclosed resolves all of the problems outlined above. In so doing it helps to exploit one of the greatest potentials of the Compact Disc--namely, its compactness. A number of discs may be simply and safely transported, accessed at random from information on their respective indicia, and returned to their individual locations with a minimum of effort and dexterity. This can be done while walking or traveling without the need to support the device on a stable surface.
The outer jacket of the device is flexible, yet sturdy, and the innr portion is composed of a unique system of air cushioned surfaces which, together with the outer jacket, protect the discs against scratching or mechanical shock, and give the system a firm, rugged feel. There are no metal or hard plastic parts which could cause scratching, and each CD is protected on both its front and rear surfaces--both of which are sensitive to damage. While each CD may be fully viewed and then easily accessed with one hand, lifting it by the edges out of half-high pockets, these pockets are not themselves the main containment or security for the disc. Rather, containment is provided for by the seperate system of foldable surfaces, which form individual compartments between these surfaces and inside the secure jacket, so that there is little chance of dumping any CD's by accident during access.
There is also provision for the related indicia to be used in conjunction with the disc to allow for easy searching, retrieval, and identification of discs and locations.
Finally, in its preferred form the device is attractive, simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
In what follows I will disclose the unique features of this invention and explain how it evolves from a novel and unexpected juxtaposition of movable and collapsable planes, having a single axis of pivot, though they unfold in mutually orthogonal axes. I will show how this allows the device to open and close in a controlled manner and permit the full viewing and access of an individual compartment, and the collapse into a fully flat, portable geometry. A number of other unique and nonobvious features will be disclosed, some of which are claimed herein and others of which may be claimed in related and subsequent applications.